"Doflamingo, this isn't what we agreed on!"
In a lavish room in Gran Tesoro, walls inlaid with gold bricks, the Gold Emperor held a Den Den Mushi, roaring in anger.
"Fuffuffuffu."
"You'd better watch your tone."
On the surface, Doflamingo and the Gold Emperor were business partners, but their feud went back a long way. The Gold-Gold Fruit had, in fact, originally belonged to Doffy. He had intended to use the incredibly precious fruit as the grand prize to generate buzz for his newly opened auction house. He had made preparations behind the scenes, of course, to ensure the fruit would never actually be sold.
But the unexpected happened. A man named Gild Tesoro came out of nowhere and stole the Gold-Gold Fruit.
That's right. The Gold Emperor's Gold-Gold Fruit had been snatched right from under Doflamingo's nose, at his own auction house, during a grand auction. No one knew how Gild Tesoro had managed it. But a dozen or so years later, a super-rich tycoon, wealthy enough to rival entire nations, suddenly appeared on the seas. This man was none other than Gild Tesoro, who had eaten the Gold-Gold Fruit.
Heaven knows what expression Doflamingo wore when he heard the news, but one can imagine it wasn't a pleasant one. If not for the fact that the Gold Emperor himself was also incredibly powerful, Doflamingo would have stormed Gran Tesoro long ago.
This phone call, with the Gold Emperor's accusatory tone, immediately ignited Doffy's displeasure.
"I'm not joking with you right now. Your man paid me to deal with a rookie pirate who had just entered the Grand Line." The mere thought of this mess made the Gold Emperor's face darken. "This 'rookie pirate,' not long ago, just killed Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Onigumo. Doflamingo, you'd better explain to me what the hell is going on."
He had accepted a payment of less than 200 million Beli, only to end up offending such a figure. The Marines had already issued a new bounty—a full 500 million Beli. Add to that the black market bounty, and Bellamy's price was now higher than that of a Four Emperors' first mate.
No one in the world did business like this. The Gold Emperor felt like he had taken a massive loss on this deal. Now, he had done the deed and made the enemy. That man, Bellamy, was running wild on the Grand Line. The Gold Emperor's businesses were spread throughout the entire Grand Line. If he didn't solve this problem, who knew how great his losses would be?
Doflamingo had to give him an explanation today.
There was a long silence on the other end of the Den Den Mushi. Doflamingo had also only just received the news of Bellamy killing Onigumo. To be honest, he too was filled with regret. What had started as a minor nuisance had now become a major threat. The Gold Emperor was, at most, a hired hand. The real blood feud was now between him and Bellamy.
Did the Gold Emperor have many businesses? Did Doflamingo have any less? Bellamy was about to reach Water 7, where several of his own major, highly profitable auction houses were located.
"Now is not the time to talk about this. Find a way to locate Bellamy. I'll come over myself."
"By the time you get here, he'll be long gone." Did the Gold Emperor not want to make a move himself? This was the most troublesome thing about pirates. They ran all over the world, making them impossible to find. For established figures like them, dealing with a reckless lunatic like Bellamy put them at a great disadvantage.
"That man Bellamy is a complete and utter madman," Doflamingo said. "If I'm not having a good time, you can bet you won't be either."
This wasn't a threat; Doflamingo was merely stating a fact. Bellamy's style of doing things was completely without restraint. He didn't even care about the Celestial Dragons; why would he show any mercy to the Gold Emperor?
"So we can't do anything now but wait for him to come knocking on our door?"
The Gold Emperor's intelligence network was also very effective; how could he not know what kind of character Bellamy was? He angrily slammed down the phone and slumped into a golden chair.
"I lost big on this deal."
Doflamingo clearly had no way to deal with Bellamy. If he wanted to solve this matter, he would have to rely on himself.
The Gold Emperor pondered for a long time, then took out a special Den Den Mushi and made another call.
"Hello, it's me."
The Den Den Mushi he used was a custom, dedicated line. The moment it rang, the person on the other end would know who was calling.
"What gives me the pleasure of a call from you today?"
"I have a matter I need your help with."
The Gold Emperor explained the trouble he was in. After a long pause, the person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi replied.
"I understand. This matter is indeed not easy to resolve."
There was another pause. It seemed the person on the other end was also thinking about how to handle this problem. After a while, they finally responded.
"How about this. I'll personally step in to mediate for you. You just need to prepare the money."
Hearing this, the Gold Emperor let out a sigh of relief. "Then I'll have to trouble you."
"It's a small matter."
And with that, the issue was more or less resolved. If it could be settled with money, that was the best option for the Gold Emperor. Although he had taken a loss on this deal no matter how you looked at it, compared to having his businesses smashed all over the place, it was an acceptable outcome.
"No, my heart aches from losing so much money."
Money held a special meaning for the Gold Emperor. It was related to his experiences as a young man. The meaning of his life had become completely intertwined with money. This was also an important factor in how he was able to develop his Gold-Gold Fruit to the point of Awakening.
"Baccarat, go and prepare a VIP Gold Card for me. I need to personally deliver it to a distinguished guest."
A tall woman suddenly emerged from a dark corner. "My lord, do you mean the kind of Gold Card that offers a fifty-percent discount on all purchases?"
"That's right."
Hearing this, Baccarat was stunned. To date, the Gold Emperor had only ever issued less than five of these cards. To think he was about to issue another one. Gran Tesoro was a true money pit. A fifty-percent discount on all spending, for life... this was no small sum.
"Go and do it."
"Yes, my lord." Baccarat quickly withdrew.
The Gold Emperor poured himself a glass of fine wine and swirled it with a smug air. "As long as you come here to spend, I'll earn that money back sooner or later."
So, this was his plan. To be able to make a profit even with a fifty-percent discount... the prices in Gran Tesoro must be beyond outrageous.
As for whether Bellamy had enough money, he wasn't concerned in the slightest. If you don't have money, you can always borrow from him. As a casino owner, loan-sharking was second nature.